on may 10 Lerner was quoted in national media "the irs apologizes" for targeting groups for extra scrutiny based on political affiliation. she mentioned the words "tea party" and others indicating conservative leanings being criteria used to target groups for extra scrutiny.

some are claiming this never happened. hmm, is the sky blue? ..is water wet?

When they apologize and then continue to do the same thing and use the IRS as their own personal enforcer as shown by the man who went on tv and complained that he lost his insurance while in the middle of chemo treatments then was targeted for an audit that goes back to 2003. That is what I consider a hallow apology and the left would like to forget the whole thing.

on may 10 Lerner was quoted in national media "the irs apologizes" for targeting groups for extra scrutiny based on political affiliation. she mentioned the words "tea party" and others indicating conservative leanings being criteria used to target groups for extra scrutiny.

some are claiming this never happened. hmm, is the sky blue? ..is water wet?

. Obama administration proposes new limits on tax-exempt political groups

Credit: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton
(Reuters) - The Obama administration proposed new rules on Tuesday to rein in tax-exempt groups that have transformed the U.S. political landscape in recent years by harnessing hundreds of millions of dollars in anonymous donations to influence elections.

The proposal would alter definitions in the tax code that allow limited campaign and fundraising activities by the tax-exempt groups, some of which have been at the center of allegations that the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative Tea Party groups for extra scrutiny.

These tax-exempt "social welfare" groups, organized under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, mushroomed after a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that relaxed campaign finance rules. Part of their appeal is that the groups do not have to disclose the identities of their donors as long as they spend less than half their time and money on political activities.

Critics say the relaxed rules have opened the door to the abuse of campaign finance rules meant to curb the influence of wealthy donors in U.S. politics.

The proposed rules do not address other tax-exempt fundraisers such as labor unions and business organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which are classified as 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organizations and can also raise and spend political money anonymously.

"The fact that the administration's new effort only affects social welfare organizations - and not powerful unions or business groups - underscores that this is a crass political effort by the administration to get what political advantage they can, when they can," said Representative Darrell Issa, a California Republican. Some of the biggest spenders in the last election also expressed outrage at the proposal.

Americans for Tax Reform, a non-profit that spent about $14 million in efforts to oppose Democrats in the 2012 elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, said the Obama administration was aiming to hurt conservatives at the polls.

"We expect the constitutionality of such a rule would be immediately challenged on solid grounds," said John Kartch, spokesman for the group, which is led by anti-tax activist Grover Norquist.

Campaign-finance watchdog groups that have pushed for tighter restrictions said the news was a welcome development from an agency that has done little over the years to close a loophole that has been widely exploited in recent elections.

this was the cover story, doesn't change the fact that on may tenth , Lerner admitted to and apologized for targeting of conservatives by the IRS.

Revisionist history. Under the heat of Congressional panels, the apology involved all groups and not just the Tea Party. Don't be naive, that was just politics. Then the worm turned. Then the issue became how the original law stated that the money had to be used "exclusively" for social welfare purposes and how these PACs were violating the law. Now, the Administration proposes a change that will severely limit the abuses of the law. Doesn't sound like an Administration apologizing to me.